Raines is using rookie year to learn and avoid spotlight

Tony Raines' car No. 47 has no major sponsorship
LONG POND, Pa. (AP) -- If he weren't racing, Tony Raines could probably sit in the grandstand and not be bothered by anybody.
That's hard to believe considering the passion of NASCAR fans. But the 39-year-old driver from LaPorte, Ind., qualifies as perhaps the most anonymous Winston Cup regular of the television era -- where drivers pitch everything from Klondike bars to Viagra.
No commercials for rookie
That doesn't bother Raines, for now.
"I believe there are some advantages when you're in the situation we're in as a first year Winston Cup team with a rookie driver," he said. "It's been enjoyable to be under the radar while we learn more every week.
"I know that when you take a look at the time constraints that some of the other drivers are under in service to their sponsors, it can seem a little overwhelming."
But Raines does stand out in one regard: When a field of 43 cars bearing logos such as Budweiser, DuPont and Home Depot gets ready to take the green flag Sunday at Pocono Raceway, Raines' No. 74 Chevrolet might be the easiest of all to identify.
It will be the one with rear fenders that say nothing, as is the case virtually every week. In an age when some primary sponsors pay $15 million or so for these traveling billboards, Raines' car is a throwback to the formative years of the sport -- a plain white wrapper of sorts.
On Sunday, when he finished 31st at Dover International Speedway, the car carried a message in support of National Hunger Awareness Day -- for which the team received nothing. But the search goes on for financial backing.
"Naturally, our goal is to perform in a manner that allows us to attract a top-notch sponsor and give them as much exposure as possible," Raines said. "It's an aspect that I'm looking forward to, because it means we're going to be around for the long run."
Winning a longshot
In the current situation, however, his chances to win a Winston Cup race are minuscule.
"It would take a special set of circumstances for us to win a race," Raines said. "Just making the field every weekend has been a major accomplishment for this team, as it is for any first-year Winston Cup program."
The team has one luxury, however. Because Raines has made all 13 races, there is no immediate pressure to qualify each week on the basis of speed. The car also can get in on owner points, meaning a sponsor would get exposure in each race.
The reason it's a weekly fixture is the constant improvement in the performance of the BACE Motorsports team, said Raines, who has become more comfortable in his communications with crew chief Larry Carter.
Even though he hasn't won in nearly five years, Raines has known success. He won four times -- including three in 1998 -- in two seasons on NASCAR's truck circuit, and had three victories and an ASA series championship in 1996.
Putting the team together
Car owner Bill Baumgardner, CEO of Staff America, a human resources company, certainly liked what he saw, and hired Raines for his Busch series team in 1999. Raines became rookie of the year with one second-place finish.
"Tony Raines has the talent, maturity and technical knowledge to compete and win at this level, as does Larry Carter and the personnel that surround him at BACE," Baumgardner said. "Tony has the intelligence and personality necessary to be a team leader and the integrity necessary to be a member of our family."
After last season, Baumgardner decided to move up from the Busch series to Winston Cup. He brought with him the know-how to build a championship team.
Johnny Benson won the Busch title for Baumgardner in 1995 before moving up to Winston Cup. Randy LaJoie gave BACE consecutive championships in 1996-97.
Baumgardner does not consider the move an adventure.
"We run this race team as a business and the business of NASCAR is a more profitable venture on the Winston Cup side of the garage," he said. "Certainly the investment is substantially more than the Busch series, but so are the rewards.
"We're also competitors. If you're going to compete in motorsports, you should be prepared to compete at the highest level, and for NASCAR, that's Winston Cup. It's a substantial investment that is not entered into lightly."
Sticking to simplicity
A large part of that investment is in the driver, who deflects any suggestion that seeking a more lucrative ride would be in his best interest. With major sponsorship or a ride with a big-bucks team, America might find out just how well he can race.
"Right now, I've got no reason to look at where the grass might be greener," Raines said. "BACE Motorsports is building a Winston Cup team around me as the driver, and we're turning a lot of heads in the NASCAR garage as a first-year team running this deal out of pocket."